{"topic_id":"exotic_husbandry_hedgehog","category":"exotic-pet-husbandry","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_husbandry_hedgehog\ncategory: exotic-pet-husbandry\ntitle: \"Hedgehog housing — solitary; secure lidded cage, plastic storage bins or wire cages with close spacing\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) — non-Open-Access; paraphrased derived fact summary per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3.\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/exotic-health/mvm_hedgehog_mgmt_2026.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-28\ntokens_estimated: 71\nverified: true\nverification:\n  method: paraphrase\n  claims: 9\n  passed: 9\n  date: 2026-08-04\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual\"\n  title: \"Hedgehog housing — solitary; secure lidded cage, plastic storage bins or wire cages with close spacing\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/hedgehogs/management-of-hedgehogs\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-28\"\n  ref: \"\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary reference\"\n  needs_review: false\nlicense: paraphrase\ncopyright_note: \"Source Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is © Merck & Co., Inc. and not openly licensed; per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3 all claims are paraphrased derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not verbatim quotations.\"\nauthority_tier: T3\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T3:vet-ref\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-04\n---\n# Hedgehog housing\n\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), a copyrighted professional veterinary reference. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.\n\n## Claims\n\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Wild hedgehogs are solitary; as pets they are usually housed in individual cages.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Large, plastic storage containers or single-level, plastic-bottomed wire cages are suitable, provided the wire is appropriately spaced.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Minimum floor dimensions of 2 x 3 feet (0.6 x 0.9 m) are recommended.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Hedgehogs can climb and escape through small holes, so the cage must be secure and preferably lidded.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Sufficient ventilation is important when selecting an enclosure.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Widely spaced wires can result in limb entrapment or death.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Glass aquariums are not recommended because of poor ventilation.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* The ideal diet for a hedgehog is a commercially prepared hedgehog or insectivore food.\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Depending on the animal's weight and activity, 3-4 tsp (15-20 mL) of the main diet is typically fed daily.\n","sources":["exotic-pet-husbandry — Hedgehog housing — solitary; secure lidded cage, plastic storage bins or wire cages with close spacing (retrieved 2026-07-28)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-husbandry","title":"Hedgehog housing — solitary; secure lidded cage, plastic storage bins or wire cages with close spacing","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/hedgehogs/management-of-hedgehogs","retrieved":"2026-07-28","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-health/mvm_hedgehog_mgmt_2026.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)","source_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-health/mvm_hedgehog_mgmt_2026.txt","trust":{"authority_tier":"T3","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":"paraphrase","display_grade":"B"},"tokens_estimated":71,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}